Arizona Western College hosts Industrial Assessment Symposium

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Advancing in energy efficiency and sustainability.

We attended Arizona Western College's (AWC) Industrial Assessment Symposium and shared how AWC is helping Yuma industries reduce their energy consumption.

Every day, local industries are looking to become more eco-friendly and more efficient, and Arizona Western College will be leading the way.

The college recently received a grant from the Department of Energy to become an Industrial Assessment Center.

These centers provide free assessments to small and medium manufacturers to help them improve their energy efficiency, reduce waste, and increase productivity.

Sarah Johnston, a PhD student at Arizona State University (ASU) says "Our goal is really to help the small businesses that need assistance in terms of reducing their costs so we're seeing those savings that they can implement elsewhere, but then we also see the environmental impact and can reduce CO2 emissions.".

By Spring of 2025, the college will begin offering courses in energy optimization, electric vehicles, and HVAC and cooling systems.

The CEO of Arizona Western Entrepreneurial College, Reetika Dhawan, shares what this means for local undergrads.

"So, our goal is not only to offer this training but to create a pathway for our students to go into engineering, electrical engineering, system engineering, or clean energy initiatives," says Dhawan.

Assistant Director of ASU's Energy Efficiency Center, Ryan Milcarek, says this is a big moment in time for Yuma being that the Industrial Assessment Center has a distinguished 50-year history.

"What we saw here today was one of sixteen community colleges in the nation that was selected to have its own industrial assessment center established right here in Yuma… Helping our local industries become more efficient and ultimately reduce their costs," says Milcarek.

Organizers say students also now have a clear pathway to Arizona State University whose center has over 20 years of experience in energy efficiency.